Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls

The music press hive has been buzzing to beat the band about this quintet from Athens, whose sound blends equal parts blues, rock, and soul; their youthful lead singer Brittany Howard has been compared to the likes of Janis Joplin, Etta James, and Otis Redding.

"The record's freshness derives not only from the self-possession—and preternaturally soulful vocals—of 23-year-old frontwoman, but also from the band's lithe instrumental interplay and funky grooves. 'Rise to the Sun' opens with stomping rhythms, only to give way to Howard's ravaged pleading before erupting into a maelstrom of cathartic noise. In 'Hold On,' over a fat, buzzing groove she sings, 'Bless my heart, bless my soul / Didn't think I'd make it to 22 years old,' her petulant drawl splitting the difference between Lucinda Williams and Bettye LaVette…. 'On Your Way,' the album's sublime closing track, sounds a mystical note more in keeping with Van Morrison as Howard yearns for but can't reach 'the promised land.' 'I climbed to the mountain / And I don't know what I did wrong,' she wails over keening electric guitar and rumbling Southern rock rhythms. Whatever it was, her misstep certainly didn't have anything to do with her contributions to this inspired debut."—Washington Post